Baby, It's Cold Outside
by LovelyFandomLife
Summary: What I hope is a pretty cute Jackunzel college!AU. One shot. A bit late in the the winter holiday season, so sorry. But Merry Christmas! The Big Four, RotBTD, Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons, blah, blah, blah, tags and stuff.


Rapunzel knocked three times and waited. Her arms were hugging the present she'd so carefully wrapped close to her chest as she shifted on the front stoop, snow crunching under her feet. It was Saturday evening, the day after everyone's last final exams before Christmas break. The plan was for her to stay a few hours, to say good-bye to her friends and give Jack his Christmas present, before she hopped back in her car for the two hour drive back home, where she'd be spending most of her winter break.

She was watching her breath curl and twist in a grey poofs, when the door suddenly opened, taking her by surprise.

"Hey, Blondie, come on in."

"Jack," she said, exasperated as she side-stepped the cocky, white-haired boy to get over the threshold. "You know I don't like you calling me that."

"Oh, but you get so cute when you're mad," he teased, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he closed the door behind her.

The last get together of everyone was at Jack's townhouse. With the other two of the group still in campus dorms and Rapunzel in a tiny apartment and Jack's roommates already having left for home, it was really the only place they could have it. Actually, most everyone that went to their college had already left, with finals ending on Friday. But one of them had a late final on Friday and Jack had the evening shift for his work that day, and with everyone studying the week before, they didn't have any chance for their last hurrah anytime before Saturday.

Rapunzel hadn't taken five steps into the dwelling before she was suddenly swallowed by a cloud of red and unbelievably curly hair. Arms wrapped tightly around her with surprising strength, threatening to crush the present she was still carrying.

"Rapuzel's here!" a scottish accent shouted from underneath the suffocating pile of hair.

"Yeah, I can see that, babe," Rapunzel heard a familiar voice respond from the direction of where she knew the kitchen to be.

She managed to wriggle an arm free from beneath the trapping embrace to reach around her friend. "Hey, Merida," she said giggling. "Hey, Hiccup," called out, trying to peek through the forest of ginger hair for a glimpse of her third friend.

After what seemed like a minute, Rapunzel was finally able to wriggle out of her friend's death grip.

"Aye'm so happy yer here!" Merida said, her face a little too red and her smile a little too wide. She did a slightly silly hopping dance, her face scrunched, with a "do-da-do."

"Mer, are you drunk?" Rapunzel asked, perplexed by her friend's behavior.

"Nah, Aye've only had but a drink or four," she said as her eyes became slightly crossed.

"Yeah, more like fourteen," Hiccup teased, coming out of the kitchen to give Rapunzel a hug. "You want something to drink?" he asked as he moved over to wrap his arm around Merida's waist, lending a small amount of support to the swaying teen.

"No, that's ok," she declined, "I'm driving soon, so..."

"Speaking of which," Jack interjected, having come up behind Rapunzel, "I hope you're not making her drive, Hic," he finished with a nod towards the "slightly" intoxicated Merida.

"Course not," Hiccup said with a shrug, "I'm driving the both of us to my house back home. She'll stay there for a few days so she can meet my parents and then I'll drive her the hour and a half over to her house so I can meet hers."

"Oh, that sounds nice," Rapunzel commented.

Merida gave a snort of a laugh at that. "Yeah, wait 'till yeh meet mai mum an' dah'd, it's hilarious. Mai mum's a right bi-"

"Ok, then," Jack cut in before she finished what was bound to be something rude. "Who's ready to get this party started?"

The next two hours were filled with laughter and teasing as the four friends had their last hang out of the semester, trying to hang on to these last moments before they had to go home for the break and be separated until the spring semester. It was a collective effort to keep Merida away from the booze as they broke out board games and the classic 'Cards Against Humanity.' Each of them took a turn at karaoke before deciding to just let the music play as they danced circles around Jack's downstairs living room until they were exhausted.

It was then, with everyone huffing and puffing and spread out on couches and chairs and coffee tables, that Hiccup spoke up, cutting short the laughter and fun.

"Alright, guys, I think it's about time for me and the red head to head out," he said with a sigh.

The rest let out a collective whine of protest, including Merida.

"Bu' Aye don' want teh go."

"Come on," Hiccup said, hauling his girlfriend off the couch she'd laid herself out on. "We have to leave now if we want to make it to my house before midnight."

There were a collection of hugs and good-byes and see you soons as half of their group left, braving the snow fall that was steadily growing heavier.

"Alright," Rapunzel started, after the door had closed, "I should probably be going, too."

"Oh come on, Punz, not you, too. Stay a bit longer," Jack protested from his perch on the arm of the couch. "The Harry Potter weekend marathon on ABC is still going on," he bribed with a wiggle of his eyebrows. She giggled and gave him a side-ways glance, having already known he was going to say that. She'd always been known to have a weakness for Harry Potter.

"Jack, I really can't stay."

"Beautiful, what's your hurry?"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. Jack was always joking or flirting.

"Jack, I told my parents I'd be home. I've got to go away."

"Actually, Punz, I've been hoping that you'd drop in before you left," he said, his voice suddenly serious. He ducked his head and ran his fingers through his hair. To anyone else, it would have looked like he was nervous, but that was ridiculous. Jack never got nervous about anything. "I've been meaning to tell you something." A faint blush was starting to creep up his neck.

"Uh, Jack, you know, this evening has been so very nice, but I really should get going," she said, oblivious to Jack's abnormal behavior. She'd checked her watch when Hiccup and Merida had left and had to stifle a gasp. She couldn't believe it was already so late. There was no way she was going to make it home before when she'd told her parents.

"It'll only take a second."

"That's ok," she said quickly before he could keep talking, an urgency creeping into her voice. She turned away as she grabbed her purse, already frantically searching for her keys. "Tell me when we get back. It's getting late and-"

She suddenly felt a hand on her arm. Before she knew what was happening, she was turned around, gently but sternly, and felt the warm familiarity of a kiss. Her surprise faded quickly and she couldn't help the flutter and close of her eyes at the tingle of having his lips against hers. She didn't know where it had come from, only that it ended too soon as he pulled back, looking down at her. He was searching her face as a slightly questioning look passing over his own visage. She let out a breath as she looked into his eyes, so blue and caring.

"Jack."

"Rapunzel?"

"I-I...", she started, stuttering as her mind raced to keep up with the sudden and unexpected change in situation. "I'm not sure, I mean it's-"

"Oh, wow." Jack had moved to hold both her hands, which were now resting comfortably in his large, warm ones.

"What?"

"You're hands, they're just like ice. I mean, they're freezing."

She suddenly pulled her hands away, slightly offended by the comment.

"No, I didn't mean..." he tried to do damage control as she took a step away from him. I mean, what a stupid thing to distract from the situation, right? "Ah, hey, come here," he said with a calming tone, moving to close the space between him and Rapunzel once more. "It's ok," he said, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close to his chest as he rested his chin on the top of her head. She gave a weak reluctance at first, but it quickly melted she leaned against him, feeling the warmth of his chest and the thump of his heart beat through his sweater. After a few quiet moments of each of them just listening to the other breathing, lost in the comfort of the embrace and the warmth it gave both of them, Rapunzel broke the silence with a small voice.

"Jack."

"Hmm?"

Her cheek rested gently on his slowly raising and falling chest.

"I...I like you too, but I have to go."

He took a moment before he responded.

"You don't have to. You could just stay the night here."

"But..."

"You really even shouldn't. It's way to cold out there."

She couldn't help but give a small laugh at that.

"That's never bothered you before."

"Well, I like the cold. You, however, will catch your death out there."

She pulled away, just enough to look up at him, concern creasing her brow.

"My mother will start to worry."

"Give her a call, tell her the roads are too icy tonight," he said with a shrug.

"Father will be pacing the floor."

"He'll be ok, they'll understand. It's practically a blizzard, there's gotta be at least five inches out there. Punz, it's way too cold outside."

She bit her lip, thinking as she glanced side-ways.

"I...I ought to say no."

"Come on, stay the night. I'm leaving for home tomorrow anyways, we can leave together."

She pulled away completely then, shaking her head.

"I really can't stay."

He reached forward to grab her hand.

"Punz, it's cold outside."

"But my parents..."

"Come on, just another hour then. I'll make some more hot chocolate."

She took a second to contemplate. She really did like Jack and she wanted to stay. Very badly. But, she really did need to get home. Her parents would be wondering where she was. But...like Jack had said, she could always call them, and what was another hour anyways? She was already late, after all.

"Alright. Maybe just half a drink more. But that's it, just half."

A smile broke out on his face.

"Okay."

"Just one more hour," she said sternly, making sure he understood she was not staying the night.

It was five minutes before the two were curled up together on the couch, the sixth Harry Potter film playing on the tv screen as Jack had an arm around Rapunzel, who was nursing a mug of hot chocolate. After a few sips, she noticed it had a sharp taste to it.

"Say, what's in this drink?"

"What are you talking about? It's just hot chocolate."

"Is there alcohol in this?" she asked suddenly.

Though he tried hard to hide it, Rapunzel could see the mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm not saying."

"Jack!"

"See? Now you really can't leave. Didn't your parents ever tell you not to drink and drive?"

She gave and exasperated sigh and stood up, slamming her cocoa down on the coffee table.

"Ok, that's it. I'm leaving. I really do have got to get home."

"Oh, come on, it was a joke. It's just some cinnamon, a family recipe."

"That's not the point, I really _can't_ stay."

"And it really is bad out there. Just take a look."

"Jack, I have to go."

"Oh, now you're just hurting my pride," he teased.

"Agh, my jacket's ripped. Lend me a coat?"

"Come on, Punz, it's up to your knees out there," he said, gesturing to the window. She had to admit, the snow was getting deep. But that wasn't going to change her mind. She quickly tugged on her jacket, rip and all.

"Why don't you just see?"

"Punz, you'll freeze out there."

"What if someone noticed that I never left. I mean, the neighbors might think that I'm just-"

"Everyone's already left, Punz, there's no one to think anything. Come on, what if you caught pneumonia and died out there? Think of what that'd mean to me."

"Now you're just being ridiculous. I'm leaving," she said, her jacket on, her purse slung over her shoulder, and her hand on the door handle.

"But Punz, it's to cold out there." A hand shot passed her face, firmly closing the door before she could even open it that far. She turned around with a huff and was shocked out of her irritation to find Jack's face not but a few inches from her own. He was so close, she could see her own breath ruffle his hair slightly as his eyes glittered. There was a pause and a smile tugged at his lips as they stared at each other. Jack was the one to break the silence.

"Wow."

"What?"

"You're eyes are like starlight now."

"Jack, stop joking arou-"

"No, I'm serious. They're beautiful."

She blinked at the comment, taken aback. She bit her lip.

"I really should go..."

"Punz, you what you really should do is get over that hold out-"

"But, it really is cold outside."

Jack suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Realization lit up his eyes as a smile slid across his face. Rapunzel matched it with a smile of her own as he leaned forward for another kiss.


End file.
